Ronald Firbank was the son of Sir Thomas Firbank and the socialite
Harriet Jane Garrett. In 1905 he published his first book, "Odette
d'Antrevernes, a story". Afterwards he went to Cambridge, but
he left in 1909 without a degree.

Several novels followed,
among them "Inclinations" (1916) and "Valmouth" (1918). Oscar
Wilde was an inspiration for his novels. He used his inheritance
to travel in Spain, Italy, the Middle East and North Africa.

It was well known that he was homosexual and he was
a very shy person. He drank heavily and smoked cannabis. After
he died of a lung disease in Rome he was buried there at the
Cimitero Monumentale al Verano. He left a manuscript of an unfinished
novel set in New York. His fame rose after his death and his
work was highly regarded by Evelyn Waugh, W.H. Auden, Susan
Sontag and others.